Reflections
A MARKETPLACE “ATTITUDE”
By Pete Hammond
Work is a troublesome experience. It has been this way ever since The Fall of Adam and Eve into sin. Its processes and rewards are full of toil… thorns and thistles… and sweat (Genesis 3:17-19). Recently, in human history, a new complication has arisen in the form of money or pay. This factor means that workers from florists to financial planners, and garbage collectors to politicians, wrestle with highly mixed motivations. Confusion over value rages as questions of excellence, integrity, quality and skill get lost in the scramble for profit.
Cutting through this quagmire requires divine help—to discover God's original intention for work as one of two ways in which we reflect God’s image and likeness (the other is family, Genesis 1:26-31, 2:15-25). However, there are many people of faith who have tasted the sweet nectar of forgiveness as they confessed their rebellion against God. This new life experience opens the window to other value changes and perceptions—including jobs, career, and work. At InterVarsity Marketplace, we have learned of some key attitude changes in the area of workplace faith and practice that are helping many of our friends. Some of these helps come in the form of basic definitions, and some others are health-giving questions rooted in Scripture.
First, the basic definitions. Sin has given each of us the terrible ability to misuse every good thing. We all function daily with this tendency. Work is exercising the responsibility for resources for the benefit of God and others. That doesn’t equal having a job, but it does include it. It means we primarily serve God in our work. The church is a struggling community of sinners who have begun to taste forgiveness, but who will regress regularly. Truth in advertising would invite us to be more honest when we name each unit with titles like “the collection of confessing wretches” or “the slightly redeemed zoo.” Family is a coalition of sinners who will be themselves. A Christian family is still all that, but, who in Christ, can respond to each other in forgiveness, and yet another chance to recover. “Success” is not a biblical value, but an evil placebo of false significance that often keeps us from loosing ourselves daily in the cross of Christ. These definitions open up our understanding and the possibility of living and working differently as people of faith.
Now some questions for life and work. How can I begin to view work as an expression of my being made in the image and likeness of God? What does the Lordship of Jesus Christ mean in my daily routine? Am I functioning as a member of Christ’s church between Sundays? How can my work become a part of the church’s witness day-in and day-out? What does the ministry of the laity look like in my life? Do I let money define my worth, or see it as a functional opportunity to bring blessing to others? These questions provide a context for a regular auditing of our self understanding and functioning. We do need a biblically-shaped attitude toward our work.
These definitions and basic questions could be used in a regular gathering of peers in Sunday School, or a workplace small group meeting for lunch. Another way to unpack these perspectives is to develop a pattern of thankful prayer. Here is a prayer I have been using recently:
“Father, I really did expect to rise again today, eat well, gather with friends and family in a safe place and go to work. Forgive my tendency to think that all this is a right that I deserve—rather than a gift on loan from you. I have constantly misused all these privileges in the past. And I will continue to do so, while presuming that I deserve yet more grace and privileges. Forgive my presumption and thank you for still believing in me and trusting me for one more day. Help me to receive the gift of this day and live into it and your grace as a signpost of the kingdom, so that many others can join me in this new life because of Jesus Christ. In Him, Amen.”
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